I trembled at the thought, and then I felt someone breathing against my neck. I turned slightly, noticing Alaire’s head rested on my shoulder. He bit his lower lip, and I couldn’t understand why he had sat up when it would only cause him more pain. My heart quickened at his closeness, and it pleaded for me to embrace him in the spur of the moment. Instead, I reminded myself that he was ill and any feelings he might have on this night could be false.
“You should lie down; I know you’re in pain,” I said. My voice cracked as I felt his hand stroking my arm.
Alaire coughed. “The pain is nothing when I am more concerned about you. What troubles you?”
Ignoring the question, I remarked, “The moon looks blue tonight.”
“Oh, is that what you woke me up for?” he chuckled.
I turned to face him and lightly pushed him away. His eyes brightened, seemingly amused by my energy. Looking down at his leg, though, I instantly regretted my actions. He, on the other hand, seemed intrigued. I desired to ask him about our future, the new dangers we faced in the world, anything at all. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep that was affecting my mind, but he was the only one I could rely on, the only one I truly felt I could trust.
His words broke through my thoughts as he whispered, “You have every right to miss your sister. I…”
There was a glimmer in his eyes, giving off the appearance that he was about to cry.
“What is it, Alaire? Is it your leg?” I asked.
Sighing, he said, “I should have spoken up sooner, but I too have lost those who were dear to me. My own sister died at a very young age.”
A tear fell from his eye, and I raised my hand, wiping it away.
“You don’t have to tell this story,” I assured him.
“No, but it’s important. You see, I knew Léal even as a young child. We were neighbors, and though our families weren’t exactly the closest, we would play together as boys. Neither of us knew at the time that we had magic, and so of course we wasted our time running through the woods behind his manor without a fear in the world.”
He lay back down on the ground, grimacing. Extending his hand up to mine, I grabbed on and lay down on my side to face him. I caressed his skin, hoping it would be some comfort seeing as the water only continued to build up in his eyes.
Clearing his throat, Alaire continued, “One day I returned home later than usual. I stepped into the house, and Mama had already set the table for dinner. Everything was in place, but it was too quiet and there didn’t seem to be anybody around. I searched through each room, calling out for my parents and my younger sister, Karissa. Kari was four, I was ten.”
His voice shook now, and his grip tightened around my hands.
“S-so I stepped outside, and then I found them. Mama and Kari…they were d-dead. I found a note by their bodies with the words ‘witches die’ printed on it. My father was lucky; he was traveling home from a business trip that evening, not arriving home until an hour later.”
“Alaire…” I gasped, nearly in tears.
With one last glance at the moon, I wrapped my arms around him. He pulled me in closer and held onto me like his life depended on it. I leaned my ear against his chest, listening to his heart.
“I want us to be safe,” I murmured in his tunic, though I doubted Alaire heard me.
Softly, he answered, “I won’t let anything hurt us, Celestria. I will never allow what happened to my family to happen to you. I’ll protect you.”
I let my fingertips crawl down his shirt. As we lay there I listened to his voice; his words were like a lullaby. Slowly, my eyes began to lower.
“Look at the moon. It’s dancing for you among the stars tonight, Celestria. It’s the same moon that binds people together; it always remains the same, no matter where you are,” he whispered as he ran his hand through my hair.
I desired to respond to him, to tell him how strong he was for telling me about his family. However, within minutes I lost all energy to speak. His words faded from my hearing. Before I drifted away I heard him say “you’re safe,” and my last thoughts were to protect him.
***
During the middle of the night I awoke from a nightmare, recalling one of the numerous times my aunt had hit me. Attempting to shift my body, I realized I had remained in Alaire’s arms. Carefully, I moved his hands and stood up. I could not return to sleep, so instead I walked around the field. With Alaire’s present condition, I did not stray far from him. Each time I took another step I glanced back to be certain that Alaire was all right.
In the distance a wolf howled, but in the field I heard only my own footsteps. Then, all of a sudden, I heard what sounded like someone whispering. I turned back to Alaire, who was a few feet behind me, but he was sleeping soundlessly. I had not a clue where we were and what may be in the field. I whispered a word, and a green orb of smoke lit up in the palm of my hand. It vaguely illuminated everything around me, but I would only keep it lit long enough so that I could see if anyone else was in the field with us.
I blinked, and then I could see the outline of a man. He was tall; his own face was illuminated by a blue spark in his hands. He cackled, and then the blue spark sped toward me. Before I could duck, it slapped my hand, tingling my bones with a cold chill, and my green orb went out. I cursed at myself, knowing I had given away our location.
Chapter Fifteen
Blue Eyes
There was not another thought that raced through my mind than to run to Alaire. All I desired was to escape with him, to run as far as our feet would take us. Alaire lay on the ground, sound asleep. Perhaps he hadn’t heard the yelp that escaped my mouth. Even so, I rushed over to him and knelt down to warn him about our opponent.
“Alaire! Alaire, wake up!” I hissed.
He opened his eyes and looked dazed.
“Stay here, don’t move. Someone found us; I’ll have to fight him,” I whispered quickly, grabbing the dagger that lie on the ground before standing up to face my opponent.
Peering ahead, I thought I saw something dart to the side. I tried to follow its movement, but then a blue, misty spark hit me in the stomach. Crouching down, I could hear Alaire gasp. Feeling responsible for the danger we were in, I advanced forward in hope that the man wouldn’t see Alaire.
“You want to end this? Show yourself; I’ll fight you face to face,” I shouted.
After I spoke it began to rain, and in moments it was pouring. My opponent stood up, making visible his short, stocky figure. Though I was closer to him now and could hear him panting, I continued to advance. I performed a spell, chanting the words under my breath. The green orb returned to glow in the palm of my hand, and with another spell I watched as black powder covered the man’s body. He screamed, cursing at me as the powder evaporated into his skin, scorching him.
The man’s ashy gray hair was tied back, but his wrinkled face didn’t look familiar. He did not bother to give me a second glance, however. Placing his hand up to his lips, he exhaled in my direction. It suddenly felt extremely cold, and the constant rain did not help. My hands trembled as I gritted my teeth together.
With two words I sent black shards of Tingel at him. Tingel was a toxic magical substance that affected a person as time passed. It was a way to reassure myself that no matter what, the man would suffer. The shards scratched his face and as drops of his own blood fell down his cheeks, I pulled out the one weapon he had not expected. From behind my back, I revealed Alaire’s dagger.
His eyes widened in realization, and he performed another spell. An icicle flew toward my head; Alaire screamed my name, and without hesitation, I threw the dagger. It struck through the man’s chest, instantly stopping his heart. The icicle evaporated as if it had never existed to begin with. I stood motionless with my hand extended. Nothing in my body wanted to function, not my feet, not my hands, and certainly not my eyes. In the field lay a man with a dagger pierced through his chest. His face turned completely pale, and his eyes rolled back up into his he
ad. I had done this.
The magician was dead.
“Celestria?”
“Celestria?”
I could not respond to Alaire. My feet were planted in the ground that was colored brown and red. The dagger gleamed at me from the man’s body. It almost seemed to be taunting me, mocking me, and tempting me to grasp it again. I shook my head, resisting the urge. There was blood on my hands because of my own reckless actions. It was different from previous times before when I had used magic to defend myself.
“Celestria.” Alaire’s desperate attempts to gain my attention finally worked.
I turned and looked at him. The rain dripping down my neck was refreshing; it would hide any tears that may escape my eyes.
“Using my dagger seems like cheating, does it not?” he teased.
“Do not tell me I have cheated death. This man is dead, Alaire. Have you nothing more to say?” I snapped bitterly.
“I do. In magic law it says ‘a magician shall not kill his opponent using human tactics. A magician will always fight a fair battle, using only his magic and having no other advantage,’” he said.
I offered a cold stare in return, feeling like I had been the one struck with a dagger.
“I don’t want to hear a lesson from you,” I warned him.
Though he still lay on the ground, he pushed himself up using his elbows. His face looked pinched, his eyes glassy.
“In order to protect you, I have to teach you. As Dark magicians, we have responsibilities. When you kill a man, you’re taking away his life, his world, and you are responsible. The guilt never goes away, but in order to survive you might have to ignore it,” he said.
I heaved a sigh, but in truth I knew that he was right. I couldn’t be irritated with him, especially when he was trying to help me. Besides, if I hadn’t killed the man he could have killed both me and Alaire.
“In the morning we’re leaving. We’ll go to Mergental and find Grefin’s healer. I can’t put you in harm’s way for a day longer,” I said after managing to maintain my other thoughts to myself.
I sat on the ground and stared at the dagger in front of me. The red stains on it seemed to glimmer. I watched the dagger as if it might suddenly move, but then my head started spinning. Feeling like I had no control, I began crawling toward Alaire, sinking my nails deep into the dirt with each move. Just as I reached him I fell to the ground, and within moments my consciousness failed me.
***
Opening my eyes, I smiled, feeling the sunlight on my legs. Glancing over the blankets, I noticed a white gown laid on the edge of my bed. The white gems around the waist beamed onto the wall. I crawled over to the dress and touched it.
Someone knocked at my door. I jumped, though I quickly recovered. My maid had warned me that the groom might try to sneak a glance at the wedding gown.
“Who is it?”
“Your maid,” my fiancé’s voice answered.
“My maid, you say? That’s strange, your voice sounds much deeper than Liliana’s,” I said as I sat up properly in the bed. The door to my room was unlocked; I waited for him to barge in like he usually did without asking permission.
He cleared his throat and in a higher pitched voice said, “Let me in, mistress!”
“Come in already,” I replied, snickering at the thought of his mother hearing his imitation of a woman.
The groom entered into the room, though he was already fully dressed for the wedding. He wore black pants with silver embroidery, a white tunic, and a black designed vest. As he approached closer to me, I realized his eyes were only focused on me.
“I see the dress was placed in your room this morning,” he commented with a sly smile.
Shaking my head, I said, “Your name should be ‘trouble’ since that’s all you want.”
He laughed and advanced forward until he was leaning over me, placing his hands around my waist.
“You cannot think of anything else this lucky man may desire?” his sweet breath blew toward my lips each time he exhaled.
Before I could answer his lips brushed against mine. I raised my hand to his cheek and didn’t wish for the moment to end. Tracing his fingers across my bare neck, he suddenly pulled away.
“I’ve brought you something,” he whispered. He held a necklace up to my face. Its silver chain was accompanied by a green gemstone hanging at the bottom. As I was about to object, he held his index finger to my lips. Lowering his finger, he wrapped his arms around my neck, clipping the necklace in the back. He took a step back, seemingly admiring his work.
“I love it,” I said with a grin.
He chuckled. “Of course you do, and I love you. Now that I’ve seen your dress—”
“You should be ashamed of yourself!” I wailed, though he smiled like he was fully aware that I couldn’t truly be angry with him.
“Get dressed, love. I shall wait for you downstairs.” He kissed me once more and then walked out, closing the door behind him.
I giddily smiled at his remark, amused by how formal he was attempting to act.
A maid entered the room directly after the door shut and offered to help me dress. Though I was perfectly capable of dressing myself, I accepted her help. She pulled the gown over my corset. Then she began knotting together the laces in the back while I stood in front of the mirror. The sleeves were long, passing the length of my arms, and the skirt was full, covering my feet. There were light green embroideries of flowers at the bottom of the dress. It was more beautiful than anything I could have imagined.
For the final touch, my maid added the veil. The white fabric, which also included a flower design at the edges, draped over my face. Before she backed away to admire the dress, the maid tied roses with short stems onto different strands of my hair.
“Does the necklace suit you, mistress?” she asked.
I touched the gemstone with my fingertip. “Yes, it matches my eyes.”
A man’s voice shouted from downstairs, “Celestria!”
The maid shook her head. “Here are your heels. Try to put them on in haste; master is impatient today. Everyone is very pleased you will be the new Lady of the house.”
“Thank you, and I can hardly blame him,” I answered with a chuckle. Gladly, I took the heels from her, placed them in front of me, and stepped into them. They were the purest color of white I had ever laid sight on.
Within minutes I descended down the carpeted staircase, noticing my fiancé waiting at the door. As I continued down, I wanted to capture the moment in my mind forever. The walls, the paintings of his family, the smile on his face, the warmth of sunlight—all of it I wanted to remember until my last breath. I was becoming a part of this place, this place I would be calling home before the end of the day.
“You, my dove, could not look more gorgeous. I fear if I blink the angels will take you back to the heaven you fell from,” he remarked.
“No, no one can ever take me away from you. Not now… not ever,” I said.
I reached the last step, and he held his hand out to me. Accepting his hand, I watched as he opened the dark wooden door.
Turning back, he leaned in to kiss me.
“You’re going to kiss me through the veil?” I asked.
He blushed, answering with, “Yes, it would appear so.”
***
A large raindrop fell onto my face. I opened my eyes and was lying in the field. In my mind I knew I had been there the entire night, but in the dusk of the morning I could not forget the dream. I recalled the fight and instantly turned my head for Alaire. He lay beside me, twisting in his sleep. The rain was only dripping now, being much calmer than previously.
“Alaire?” I poked his shoulder.
His eyes fluttered open.
“Am I safe?” I asked, fearing the dream had happened while I was unconscious.
“You fainted. I suppose it was from the blood, but I couldn’t see all that much from here. When you came to, you reached out to me, and then within seconds you
fell asleep,” he explained.
Faking a cough, I said, “It was the dagger. What I did wasn’t fair…”
I closed my eyes, hoping he wouldn’t ask further about it. I feared he could hear my heart beating and see the heat rising into my cheeks. How could I be feeling mortified by my own actions when Alaire should be spending more time concerned for his own health?
“We’ll never be safe in this darkness,” Alaire spoke softly, “but someday we’ll escape it. When that day comes, I’ll carry you away from it. Neither of us should have to lose anymore because of this.”
More quietly he added, “For now, though, you’re safe.”
I smiled faintly, though I was drifting away to sleep. Thinking of what it would be like to one day break away from the darkness, I wanted to believe every word he said.
Let him be my savior, I thought before those thoughts were clouded with a memory of the dream. I frowned, remembering most clearly the man’s blue eyes.
Chapter Sixteen
Join the Battle
The rain ceased in the late morning, and the sun rose above the horizon. I stood up, stretching my legs and picking up the canteen. When I turned around Alaire was calling for me while he attempted to stretch his arms out.
I knelt down, offering him a sip of water. He pushed it away, though I gestured it toward him again until at last he accepted.
“After what happened last night we have to leave. It’s too dangerous to stay here in hope that Vinur will return,” I said.
“I will…not…go,” he said, choking on the water he had swallowed.
I held up his head, trying to help, but I could not hide the frown that crept across my face. We were in peril by staying, and I wondered if maybe because of his condition Alaire had forgotten.
“Come now, we cannot wait any longer. You need medical attention now,” I replied. At that I sneaked a glance at his knee, which appeared to be more purple than pale.
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